The Vaccine Conversation

With all that Asher has gone through, we’ve been hesitant about having him vaccinated at all…

Why?

First, from what we’ve researched/read and Doctors we’ve spoken with, there are zero studies that prove or disprove that vaccines cause autism (we’ll talk about cerebral palsy risks in a moment). There is a study from the late 1990’s that has been “blacklisted” that attempted to make the connection due to being “critically flawed” in the way their two studies were conducted…

You’d think with the controversy there’d be more access to more vaccine studies proving empirically that vaccines are safe and don’t have a connection to any disorders (I’ve read the summaries for the CDC sponsored studies but cant find the studies themselves. Please send if you know where to find them). So it’s either a “don’t mind that man behind the curtain” situation in that they know vaccines are harmful for some and it’s not enough to warrant a real study because the majority of people don’t have serious side effects OR there’s big money in bulldozing parents into getting their kids vaccinated…

Billions In Vaccine Injury Claims

Second, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund has paid out well over $4.3 billion in claims. Why have funds been set aside and paid out for compensation if they’re absolutely safe?

The Risk Of Disease Today

Third, according to recent CDC data, there is essentially ZERO risk for contracting anything he is “scheduled” to be vaccinated for. Just because we want to avoid vaccines doesn’t mean we didn’t fear the risk of him catching something. But, the CDC currently shows virtually zero cases of anything he’s scheduled for over the last two years, both across the United States and here in Nevada. Some have had zero cases for decades…

I know, I know… “They don’t show because they’ve been eradicated by more people getting vaccines”…

I can agree with you. But here’s my question: at what cost?

The Blur Of Correlation & Causation

“In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) reported that approximately 1 in 59 children in the United States has been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This estimate is a 14% increase from the 1 in 68 rate in 2016 and a 47% increase from the 1 in 88 rate in 2012. In the 1980s autism prevalence was reported as 4 in 10,000. In the nineties, prevalence was 1 in 2500 and later 1 in 1000.” – Source: https://autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism/how-common-is-autism/

The URL above continues with:

“It is problematic to compare autism rates over the last three decades, as the diagnostic criteria for autism have changed with each revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which outlines which symptoms meet the criteria for an ASD diagnosis.”

The above, which is understandable, doesn’t offer any data that affirms nor denies the connection of vaccines to the causation of autism or any other developmental disabilities. In my lay, “uneducated” observation, the rates of autism and the increased amount of vaccines seems to have some correlation…

It’s the classic “correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation” snag. For us, we’d rather err on the side of caution, at least until he’s MUCH older and we know exactly what we may be dealing with when Asher comes of age…

Aluminum (AI) As An Adjuvant

Along with that, the biggest concern from vaccines that we have is aluminum (AI) used as an adjuvant. Aluminum is, in fact, a neurotoxin. However, aluminum does have its upside: it’s used as an adjuvant to increases the bodies immune response to the bacteria/virus (not live virus) inside of the vaccine. I see its purpose, but I also see its risk. Here’s a summary from a published study from the National Library Of Medicine Website: Do aluminum vaccine adjuvants contribute to the rising prevalence of autism?

Again, it’s not enough to cause “mass hysteria” right now. It is enough, however, to warrant concern and decide to go against the majority. With Asher being at risk for so many developmental issues, we’d rather hold off. For you, do your own research (avoid the reddit forums, look for published studies), pay for private consults with other Dr’s/specialists (we did), find a vaccine friendly pediatrician that will educate you while standing on neutral ground (we did), and make the best decision for your child…

Vaccine Injury Is Difficult To Prove Conclusively Which Makes It Hard To Enforce Accountability

Fourth, if he were to become vaccine injured, it’s hard to prove. For example, if the MMR vaccine, which has a reputation (amongst parents; not proven/disproven) of having autism as a side effect, actually caused autism for Asher, his brain bleeds/hydrocephalus/low birth weight/etc would be to blame, not the vaccine. Our assumption would be that the blame would be passed onto everything else without ever considering the vaccine as a possible cause. The same can be said for the pertussis vaccine that many parents have claimed caused cerebral palsy in their children…

As a parent considering the lack of data, the logical inconsistencies (which could very well be knowledge gaps on our side), the existence of a vaccine injury fund, the tens of thousands of parents that have the same story (my child was speaking and active then a short time after their X vaccine they regressed) and the expectation of parents to fallaciously appeal to authority, “we’re out” until the absolute safety and efficacy of vaccines are proven by consensus through peer reviewed studies…